ERT Interns Explore Careers with NOAA
October 17, 2008 - From Alaska’s frigid harbors to the Gulf Coast’s turbulent waters, Earth Resources Technology, Inc. (ERT) interns are learning about global environmental conditions, resources, and processes from the leading scientists and experts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA). ERT’s paid internships offer recent graduates the opportunity to advance their knowledge and understanding of environmental issues by applying skills they learned in the classroom.
Some ERT interns spent the summer surveying in Alaska onboard the NOAA survey vessels Fairweather and Rainier.
ERT interns are given the opportunity to participate in some of the agency’s largest initiatives. This summer, interns on board NOAA’s survey vessels Fairweather and Rainier took part in a major ocean and coastal mapping project in Kachemak Bay—one of south-central Alaska’s busiest and most ecologically diverse harbors. Interns involved with this project operated state-of-the-art sonar (SOund Navigation And Ranging) technology to locate sunken ships, sediment, boulders, lost crab pots, and other debris scattered across the bottom of the bay.
Spending time aboard the Fairweather, ERT interns Elizabeth Reichert and Erin Nagel had the opportunity to participate in the survey work that provides nautical chart information for safe navigation. "Seeing how the ship operates and collects survey data was invaluable to understanding my work and its importance to mariners," Reichert said.
ERT Intern Patrick Fink and NOAA officials deploying survey equipment in Galveston Bay following Hurricane Ike.
Further south, ERT interns are assisting NOAA to restore shipping operations in the Gulf of Mexico after this year’s most destructive hurricanes. With the help of a new NOAA Sentinel tide station and an emergency navigation response boat, interns were on the land and on the water working to ensure the Gulf Coast’s hardest-hit ports and coastal waterways were safe to re-open.
“Whether it’s conducting fish surveys in the Florida Keys or interacting with port authorities and policymakers, ERT interns are able to gain valuable experience and explore exciting career possibilities within the ocean sciences” said Jonathan Shannon, ERT’s internship coordinator. “Some of our interns receive the opportunity to work for NOAA on a permanent basis upon completion of their internships; others either continue on to graduate school or find positions in their chosen field with private industry. It is always satisfying to see them build a successful career upon the foundation of skills they gained while in the ERT internship program.”
To learn more about ERT internships, please visit: http://www.ertcorp.com/NOAAinternships.php
